Auxiliary Police Written
Auxiliary Police Written Exam
More study resources
Cheat sheet
Keep the key ideas within reach.
ExploreKey terms
Get comfortable with the vocabulary.
ExploreStudy plan
Give each week a clear focus.
ExploreCommon mistakes
Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
ExploreCase studies
Put your knowledge to work in context.
ExploreExam-day guide
Prepare for the day ahead.
ExploreAbout this exam
The Auxiliary Police Written Exam is the entry assessment used to screen candidates for volunteer auxiliary police roles, most commonly associated with the New York City Police Department's auxiliary program. It is intended for civilians who want to serve alongside full-time officers in a non-firearm, uniformed capacity, typically on patrol support, traffic control, crowd management, and community event assignments. Candidates are usually adults who meet residency, background, and physical requirements set by the recruiting agency, and who need to demonstrate basic literacy, reasoning, and observational skill before appointment.
The test is delivered as multiple choice and is organized around four skill areas: written comprehension and grammar; written expression and report writing; memorization and observation; and spatial orientation and problem sensitivity. In practice this means reading short passages and spotting meaning or errors, choosing the clearest way to phrase a report entry, recalling details from briefly presented material, and reasoning about directions, positions, and likely outcomes in a scenario.
Preparation works best as steady practice rather than cramming. Read dense text daily and summarize it in your own words, drill grammar and sentence-correction items, practice memorizing names, numbers, and descriptions for short intervals, and work direction and map-style puzzles. Because no official specification could be verified, confirm the current format, length, and scoring with the recruiting agency before your test date. This page is independent study material and is not affiliated with any police department or city agency.
What you'll study
About Auxiliary Police Written preparation
What format is the Auxiliary Police Written Exam?
It is a multiple-choice written test. Publicly verifiable specifications for the current version could not be confirmed, so treat any item count, time limit, or passing score you hear secondhand as unverified and check directly with the recruiting agency before test day.
How hard is the exam?
Difficulty is moderate for most candidates: the material is reading, writing, memory, and spatial reasoning rather than police law or tactics. The usual challenge is pace and accuracy under time pressure, not obscure content. Steady practice on comprehension and memorization tasks is generally enough.
Can I retake the exam if I fail?
Retake rules are set by the administering agency and could not be verified from an official source. Ask the recruiter whether a waiting period, a limited number of attempts, or a reapplication requirement applies, and get the answer in writing before you rely on a second attempt.
How much time should I allow for preparation?
A practical plan is several weeks of short daily sessions rather than a few long ones. Alternate between reading comprehension, grammar and sentence correction, memorization drills, and direction or map puzzles so no single skill is neglected, then take full-length practice sets under timed conditions.
What should I study first?
Start with written comprehension and grammar, because those skills feed report writing and every scenario question. Add memorization practice next, since recall tasks reward consistent short sessions. Leave spatial orientation for last only if it is already a strength; otherwise rotate it in from the beginning.
What are the most common failure modes?
Candidates most often lose points by rushing reading passages, choosing an answer that sounds official rather than one supported by the text, and misreading direction or left-right relationships in spatial items. On memorization sections, trying to retain every detail instead of the requested categories is a frequent error.
How is report writing tested?
Expect items asking you to pick the clearest, most complete, and most grammatically correct version of a statement or report entry. Favor plain, factual, chronological phrasing with specific details over vague or emotional language, and watch for tense consistency and pronoun clarity.
Does this page come from the police department?
No. This is independent study material written for candidates, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by any police department or city agency. Always confirm official requirements, scheduling, and scoring with the agency handling your application.